Chapter One
France， 5elow the border crossing at Geneva.
July 1714.
The gaudy caravan of heavy wooden wagons creaked
and rumbled on the seldom-nsed road east of LyonS.
Under the morning sky， wagon wheelS churned stone
dust that blew white past dark men and women lurching
on high seats， wiping sweaty faces with bright red or
blue scarves. At the rear of the wagonS， shouting
mounted riders drove a remuda of horseS.
In the fields of vast estates， toiling peasants ceased
their plowing and hoeing as the strange caravan lum-
ast The laborers rubbed aching backs. They
bered p ~ . and sunerstition， Gypsies!
stared with mmgtea cont~tuv，~ ~ t-
They crossed themselves against the evil eye. And they
considered such a rootless life with secre[enW~teSdS=h
people could leave any place wtaenever tn~y ，~
t could go to any place they might choose.
Gypsy men， Romany， returned the stares. It was al-
ways the peasants who looked away first. They could
not hold the black eyes of dark men who had full， wavy
i beards， long raven hair which fell over wildly colored
shirts， and vests festooned with silver and bits of mirror.
Romany women did not stare back at peasants. They
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